Eternity
by xxSushixx
Summary: What happens when Susan and Peter discover a book describing the future of Narnia, and the future of themselves? CURRENTLY ON HIATUS, BUT I'LL BRING IT BACK!
1. The Book

**Author's Note: This story also has some humor in it! Slightly ties in my other fic "Remember". I've posted this story elsewhere, but I didn't save some of the chapters, so I am re-writing the rest of the fic entirely. Plus, last time I didn't like the way it turned out so... there you go.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, unfortunately. I only own one of my later characters, Isabella (or Izzy).**

* * *

Chapter One

"I'll be back soon," she said, hurrying out the door before her roommate, Minni, could say anything. She slammed the door and ran down the long staircase, and bolted out of the dormitory.

She needed to get away. There was no escaping it. After Minni had discovered the long-forgotten drawing of _him_, she knew that she couldn't hide it from her anymore. So she had to get away.

Susan darted past the boys' dormitory, and looked up at the window that she knew led to Peter's dorm room. She knew what he would say if he knew what had just happened. He would be disappointed in her. He would tell her to forget about it- that they would never be going back.

Susan became angry just thinking about it. Peter never understood her anymore. He was different- he wasn't the same Peter who cared about his sister, who wanted her to be happy, who wanted to go back to Narnia. Ever since the two of them had fought over the stupid sorority issue, they had grown more and more apart, until they had stopped talking all together. What did he know, anyway? Susan wanted to be in the sorority to be closer to her mother, and that was it. End of story. But, of course, he didn't get it. He thought sororities were stupid and idiotic. Maybe they were. She didn't care.

Susan transferred her bag to her right shoulder, and continued down the long walk. She could have taken the auto, but she didn't want to. She needed the fresh air.

She felt the wind caress her face, and whip her hair around her shoulders. She looked up at the sky and sighed. She wondered how Edmund and Lucy were faring. She wondered if they had gone back to Narnia yet. She wondered how much time had passed. And, she let herself think of the forbidden question- what was _he _doing? Had he changed? Was he married? Or, worse- was he dead? She refused to allow herself to ponder over that one.

She finally reached her destination- Origin Books. It was a small shop, and it didn't appeal to the trendy crowd that read books. But it appealed to her. It had all sorts of old books- occasionally it got new books. She was their best customer- sometimes, she came just to chat with the store owner, Michael. It really took her mind off the pressing issues of her life.

She stepped inside the shop, and heard the little bell ring its head off. Michael appeared from behind a book shelf, and smiled at her. He was a short, wrinkled man with white hair and glasses. He reminded her a lot of the Professor. Maybe that was one of the reasons she spent so much time here.

"Susan, what a nice surprise," he said, his eyes shining. Susan smiled.

"I just thought I'd stop by. Anything new?" That was her ritual. She always asked that- she had read everything here. She hadn't bought much, but Michael always let her read there for hours, since they didn't get a lot of customers. Michael's eyes lit up.

"Actually, you're in luck. We got a new shipment of books this morning."

Susan smiled wider. She loved new books. Michael led her over to the bookshelves reserved for new books, and beckoned her over.

"These are the new nonfiction. But here is where you'll be interested- the fiction. We have some new fantasies, a few dramas, and an excellent romance. All right up your alley, I daresay."

Susan looked at him, and felt like jumping up and down. Perfect. It was just what she needed.

"Do you recommend anything?" she asked excitedly. Michael nodded and walked over to the counter. He always put aside books that he thought Susan would enjoy. Today was no exception. He pulled out a few books and laid them across the counter. Susan looked at them, but one in particular caught her eyes. She picked it up and looked at the cover in surprise.

The cover was navy blue, and the book was called, "Eternity". But that didn't draw her eye. It was the beautiful girl on the cover. The beautiful girl that looked almost exactly like herself. She showed it to Michael.

"Where did you get this?" she asked quietly.

"The shipment," he said calmly. He took the book from her and rearranged his glasses. He squinted at the cover of the book and smiled his crinkly smile.

"She looks a lot like you. Bestseller, this one is."

Susan frowned in thought. She looked at Michael and smiled a little. She pulled some money from her bag and handed it to him.

"I'll take it."

* * * * *

"Oh my God!" Minni shrieked, grabbing the book from Susan's hands. Susan was speechless. This was... odd. Even for Minni, who was the Queen of Odd.

Susan rolled her eyes and snorted, a very un-ladylike gesture. She put her bag on her bed and sat down in her favorite comfy-chair. She loved to sit in it and read all day.

"I think you're making a too big of a deal about this," she said matter-of-factly, brushing a dark ringlet out of her eyes.

"Too big of a deal? For God's sake, Susan. This girl looks just like you!" Minni squealed, hugging the book to her chest. She sat in the chair next to Susan and forced Susan to look into her celery-green eyes.

"Did you pose for this book without my knowledge?" she asked teasingly. Susan rolled her eyes again.

"Minni, I'm sure it's just a coincidence."

"Yeah right," Minni said with a laugh. She opened the book to the summary.

"Hmm... let's see what it's about, shall we?" Minni said in a high-pitched voice. Susan laughed.

"If you must," she said, waving her hands so she could continue. Minni cleared her throat and began reading the summary.

"Once, long ago, four children ventured into the wondrous land of Narnia, and defeated the White Witch. A year later, they entered again and defeated the Telmarines." Minni's voice broke off when she saw Susan's face. Her face was as white as a sheet, and she looked like she wasn't breathing.

"Are you okay?" Minni asked worriedly. Susan snapped out of her trance, and color ran to her cheeks. She nodded.

"I'm fine," she said unconvincingly. After another worried glance, Minni continued reading.

"The two eldest children were not allowed back to Narnia, but the youngest were. But the eldest were not ready to let go of Narnia. Especially the eldest girl. She had left Narnia before, leaving behind the person she loved. Now, she decides to venture into the land one more time, unbeknownst to everyone. Along with her older brother, they go into Narnia and have to hide. They encounter strange creatures, awful laws, and a beautiful girl who threatens them all. Can love help them survive? Or will it vanquish them all?"

Susan had almost completely stopped breathing by the time Minni finished. It was... about Narnia. About her siblings. About _him_. About her. But... none of those things had happened to them! Could the book possibly be... talking about the future?

Susan jumped up, and snatched the book from Minni's hands. Without giving her an explanation, she ran out the door again. She bolted down the steps and slammed the door shut behind her. She ran across the lawn to the boy's dormitory, and ran up the steps. She knocked on room 12A, and a boy Peter's age answered. He was tall, had shaggy black hair, and was holding a sheet of music. He was Peter's music prodigy roommate, Alex.

"Hey, Alex," she said. Alex looked very surprised to see her. He knew all about the no-speaking factor between her brother and her. He had been there during the fight that had caused it all.

"Is Peter here? It's an emergency."

Alex shook his head. "I think he's playing ball or something," he said with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Thanks," Susan said breathlessly, and was out the door again. She sprinted all the way to the gym, and peeked through the window. He wasn't in there. He was probably in the locker room.

Susan had never been embarrassed about boy's locker rooms. She had been in them before- she hardly noticed the boys in there. So she wasn't self-concious at all when she bolted into the room and was surrounded by wet floors, steam-filled showers, and lots of boys with towels wrapped around their waists. When they felt a draft, and turned to see a beautiful girl holding a book and running down the hallway. They screamed and pressed themselves against the wall, willing their towels not to fall off. Susan hardly noticed. She ran to the end of the locker room and saw Peter.

"Peter!" she shouted, running toward him. He, like all the rest, was wearing only a towel. Peter turned in surprise. Why was she talking to him? They had hardly spoken since the sorority thing. He was still angry about it, but curiosity got the better of him.

"What the hell are you doing in here?" he asked, covering himself. Susan rolled her eyes.

"Peter, we're blood, I've seen you naked, snap out of it, and take a look at this." She thrust the book into his hands. He frowned at the cover.

"She looks just like you," he said.

"Read the summary," she said urgently. He flipped open the book and read it. His eyes widened as he finished.

"What... how... when... what?" That was all he could say. She grabbed his shoulders.

"Get a grip on yourself, Peter," she said. "This is an emergency."

"Who wrote this?" he asked, his words finally merging into sentences. Susan shrugged.

"I don't know," she said. "It says anonymous."

"How is this possible?" he wondered, leaning against the metal lockers, ignoring the pain the locks gave him as they scratched down his back. "This is all true, yet it hasn't happened yet."

"I don't get it either," she said. "What should we do?"

Peter frowned in thought for a moment, and then said, "You should read it."

"What?" Susan hissed, her eyes widening.

"What's so bad about reading it? You love to read, Su," he said. Susan got a warm fuzzy feeling inside her, despite everything else. He had called her _Su_. He hadn't called her that in ages.

"I'm afraid," she admitted, casting her eyes down. "I'm afraid that once I read it, I'll relive that entire year after we got back from Narnia. You know, the year I like to call the Year of Depression."

Peter sighed, and hugged her, and she totally ignored the wetness of his skin. She was just happy that Peter was hugging her again. Suddenly, she felt sad. Sad for all the months they hadn't talked. They felt like wasted time.

She pulled away from him, and nodded. "I'll read it," she said quietly. "But don't expect me to like it."

Peter chuckled. "I don't expect you to."

* * * * *

Susan yawned, and her eyelids fluttered. She looked around the room, and felt a weight on her chest. It was the book. She must have spent all night trying to finish it. And she succeeded.

Quotes from the book flashed through her mind, and her head spun as they filled her thoughts.

_"Run, Susan!"_

_"I will love you for eternity."_

_"My name is Rylyn. I have come to asist you."_

_"I don't like her."_

_"Why would I love her, Susan, when I have you?"_

_"SUSAN? PETER? You're HERE?"_

_"You've broken the law. Something must be done."_

_"You can't do this to me! I belong here, with Caspian! Narnia is my home!"_

Susan shook her head to get rid of the quotes. The book was amazing- she had to admit it. But it couldn't be true- could it? If it was true, that meant that Edmund and Lucy had just gone to Narnia. She picked up the book and crawled out of bed. She changed into some sweatpants that she had stolen from Peter's drawers a while ago, and pulled on a red shirt that read her sorority's name on it in silver letters. She brushed her hair and teeth, and tied up her hair so it was out of her face.

"I need some juice," she said to herself. She tiptoed over to the fridge, trying not to wake Minni. But when she opened the fridge, she didn't find juice. In fact, her mind completely forgot about the juice.

She was frozen in shock. The book fell to the floor. It WAS talking about the future. Every word in the book was true. Just by opening the fridge, she knew. Why? Because the answer was right in front of her.

"Narnia," she whispered, and the book was completely correct indeed.


	2. Entering Narnia

**Author's Note: Thanks so much for the reviews so far, guys! So, this story is really kind of taking place during the Voyage of the Dawn Treader, in a way (you'll see during Chapter Three). And I really want to focus this story more on Susan and Peter's relationship with each other, especially since they've grown so far apart now. This is more a story about family than anything else, and you'll see that in the next few chapters, which I plan to add flashbacks of the year when Peter and Susan were fighting. Anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter!**

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Chapter Two

She was speechless. She could find no words to speak, no thoughts to think, no ways to move. It was like she had become a solid block of ice.

Impossible. This was simply her eyes playing tricks on her, wasn't it? She wasn't supposed to go back! She couldn't! Her life was here- in England, in college, gaining an education, living a life without magic and adventure. She had learned what she could from Narnia, right? If so, then why was it being offered back to her like a pig on a serving platter with an apple in its mouth?

Susan contemplated stepping forward, but she didn't move a fraction of an inch. What was the point? She would go in, look around, feel adventurous for a few days, and then have to return. And then she would have to undergo the Year of Depression all over again. It wasn't right. This, she knew now, was why she could not allow herself to enter.

Susan slammed the refrigerator door shut, panting slightly. She squeezed her eyes shut, praying that the image of soft, grassy plains and Telmarine flags waving off in the distance would disappear. She cautiously opened the fridge door again, and her eyes widened when it was still there. Wasn't it supposed to disappear?

_Wait a second. __Telmarine__ flags?_

That couldn't be right.

"This is a joke," Susan whispered to herself, racing to her bookcase and picking up the book. It was impossible. Things like this didn't just happen.

Someone groaned, and Susan froze, realizing that she was not alone. She turned, and saw Minni rising from her cocoon of blankets, her strawberry blonde hair in disarray. She yawned and rubbed her eyes, looking sleepily around the room, her eyes finally resting on Susan.

"What are you doing? And why is the fridge door open?" Minni asked hoarsely, slipping out of bed and throwing on her robe. Susan shoved the door shut, praying to God, or whoever was up There for that matter, that Narnia would disappear.

"Susan, can you please move? I need some breakfast," Minni mumbled, shoving her roommate out of the way to grab something out of the fridge. Susan tensed immediately, afraid of what she would see.

But, oddly enough, the contents of the fridge had returned.

Susan ogled the fridge, so much that Minni started giving her odd looks.

"Okay, what's wrong with you?" Minni asked bluntly, holding a glass of juice high in the air like she was toasting someone. Susan brushed her hair from her eyes and straightened up, clearing her throat.

"Um… I need to find my brother," she said quickly, stepping around her roommate and rushing for the door. Minni grabbed her arm and gave her a stern look.

"I thought you two weren't speaking after the stupid sorority thing," Minni said, causing Susan to pause. It was true, they weren't, but after what had happened yesterday, Susan wasn't so sure anymore. For one moment out of over a year, she had thought that she was getting her brother back. But he hadn't tried to talk to her again after that. In fact, they had passed each other on the way to the library, and, just like usual; he picked up his pace and brushed past her.

"We aren't," Susan whispered, pushing back a black curl that fell into her face.

"Then why do you want to talk to him?"

Susan didn't answer. Instead, she slipped on a pair of sandals sitting by the door, and stepped out of their dorm room and into the hallway. She speed-walked toward the door, and stopped. It was raining.

Susan grabbed a blanket from one of the chairs in the lounge, and wrapped it around her head like a turban. She took a deep breath and stepped out into the pouring rain.

Unfortunately, the blanket didn't do much. By the time she arrived at Peter's dorm, she was soaked to the bone and freezing. She knocked on Peter's door, and thankfully, he answered, not Alex.

Peter's eyes went wide. "Su, you're soaking! Come in, come in!" he said, causing Susan's heart to warm. He was talking like a concerned older brother again.

Susan stepped inside, and Peter unwrapped the wet blanket from her body and shoved it in the laundry basket, while Susan stood shivering in the middle of the room. Peter wrapped a fluffy towel around her, and pushed her into a chair.

"Are you okay? What do you need?" he asked gently, as if completely forgetting that they were supposed to not be speaking. Susan lifted her knees into the towel and said,

"I read the book."

Peter gave her a look of surprise. "You did? How was it?"

Susan gulped and said, "I think it talks about the future."

Peter stood up immediately, pacing. "What?"

"I mean it talks about the future. It said in the book that we would discover Narnia through a refrigerator, and when I woke up and went to get some juice, I found Narnia. And if this is true, then that means that Edmund and Lucy have already gotten into Narnia."

Peter stopped pacing and gave her a look of disbelief. "Are you sure about this?"

Susan nodded, completely ignoring the cold seeping back into her veins. He was giving her a look she remember well- the same look that said that Susan was insane, that she didn't know what she was talking about. It was the same look he gave her over a year ago, when Susan was just starting to be rushed into her mother's sorority.

"Peter," Susan whispered, her blue eyes wide. She wouldn't will herself to cry. She cried the last time he gave her that look. She had cried and run away from him, because she hadn't wanted to deal with the pain of his look, the pain that filled her stomach at the thought of distancing herself from her brother.

"Peter," she said again. "I'm not lying. Come with me, and you'll see that I'm not."

Peter gave her a wary glance. "Su, are you sure? After all, Aslan said we weren't to go back."

Susan stood up, and placed a hand on his arm. "Trust me," she said, her eyes piercing into his. He finally nodded and opened the door, allowing her to step through first. She pushed through the heavy rain, ignoring the sting it left on her tender skin, and stepped through the door and entered her dorm. She trudged up the stairs, hearing her brother's footsteps behind her, and opened the door to her room.

"Susan?" Minni said when she entered. She was standing in the middle of the room, clutching her juice and staring at her with bewildered eyes. Susan figured Minni must have been confused, from what had happened that morning, and Susan running out spontaneously.

"Minni, can you move for a second?" Susan hissed, dropping the towel that was still wrapped around her shoulders. Minni shuffled to the side, her eyes flitting from Susan to Peter.

"Uh, hi, Peter," she said awkwardly, her fingers shaking slightly and spilling orange juice over the side of the glass cup she held.

Peter waved, and then focused on Susan. She stepped to the fridge, her mind reeling.

_Please let it still be there. Please let us want to come back. Aslan, please grant us this moment._

Susan grasped the handle on the fridge, and pulled it open, her eyes widening at the scene of green grass and bright sunshine before her. It was still unbelievable.

She heard a loud gasp from the other side of the room, and she tensed immediately. She had forgotten Minni was watching.

Susan turned quickly, her eyes on Minni's face. "Minni, I can explain," she said, her voice stringing words together in a hurry.

"You can EXPLAIN why there is grass and sunshine in our refrigerator?" Minni whispered, blinking to recover from the shock. Susan winced. That didn't sound good.

She exchanged a glance with Peter, who was clearly still amazed that Narnia was before them, because his eyes were as round as saucers. She took a deep breath, and said,

"Okay, Minni, listen…"

* * * * *

Susan was surprised Minni hadn't fainted yet. It was an hour later, the fridge was wide open, and all three were sitting on the couch while Peter and Susan tried to explain Narnia to them. Susan, however, didn't like it. She was afraid of telling Minni- she had thought that Narnia would stay a secret within the family, and Minni wasn't exactly the best secret-keeper in the whole world.

"Oh. My. God," Minni finally choked out, obviously shocked. And awed.

Peter winced at her words. "Yeah, we know. That's how we felt."

Minni turned to Susan, her gaze hardened. "You lied to me, then! If what you told me is true, then that drawing I found was of a real person!"

Peter rounded on Susan. "What drawing? What is she talking about, Susan?" He has that look of disbelief again. He seemed to be wearing it a lot lately, which made Susan's blood run cold and her heart pound so heavily that she felt it would burst out of her chest and shove itself onto the ground, begging Peter to stop injuring it with his look.

Susan stood up and walked to the bookshelf, pulling it from its hiding place. She handed it carefully to Peter, who opened it and took one glance at it before rolling his eyes and setting it down.

"Are you seriously serious? You DREW him?"

Susan bit her lip and looked down. "You sound like you think I'm crazy," she answered, her heart pounding again.

Peter snorted. "Well, kind of. You're a little obsessed."

She heard a gasp from Minni, and Susan looked up, suddenly seething.

"A little obsessed? How would you know? We've barely talked since YESTERDAY!"

Peter seemed taken aback by her words. "What?"

Susan clenched her fists and looked away. "You heard me, Peter," she hissed through her teeth. "Don't try and deny it- we haven't talked in basically a year. You're just being stupid about this. Everything. I don't want to fight with you, Peter, you're my brother. But I just can't DEAL with you anymore. It's my life, it's MY business. STOP acting like you know everything, because you don't! You don't know what goes on in my head, you don't know why I drew him, and you don't know these things because YOU DON'T TALK TO ME!"

She had said everything that had been running through her head for a year in under five minutes.

Peter was pressed against the wall, his eyes ablaze, his breathing shallow, and Susan immediately felt bad for being so rude and cold to him. It wasn't her nature to be like that, but it wasn't her nature to be so openly forgiving either.

Minni snapped her fingers. "Can we get back to Narnia, please?" she snapped, sending Peter out of his thoughts. He glanced up, and walked to the fridge, keeping his distance from Susan.

"We should go," he said quietly, glancing up and locking eyes with Minni. "All three of us."

"What?" Susan said, her eyes widening. "We… we ca-can't, Peter. You know that. Aslan said we can't."

Peter glared at her. "Well, if Narnia is showing up for us, obviously things have changed. Just because you're afraid to go back and see that things have changed with Caspian doesn't mean that you have the right to cripple the chance for everyone else. Minni hasn't even BEEN to Narnia yet. She should see it."

Susan opened her mouth, obviously offended. "There you go again, Peter! Assuming things! That is NOT why I don't want to go back! It's called PLAYING BY THE RULES!"

Peter didn't answer for a moment. He stared deeply into the beautiful grassy plains of Narnia, and said quietly, "We've played by the rules long enough, Susan."

Susan felt a shiver of nostalgia run through her. The way he said that reminded her very much of planning the battle against the Telmarines. Peter had said, "We've waited for Aslan long enough."

He was basically saying the same thing again.

Susan ground her teeth together but didn't say anything. She let Minni answer for her.

"Well, let's go!" she squealed, obviously excited. Susan bit her lip and finally whispered,

"I don't trust this. I was the one who read that book, not you, Peter. There's a catch. We can't be seen."

Peter raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

Susan shot him a stern glare. "We. Can't. Be. Seen. Peter," she hissed. Minni winced and nodded.

"I have to agree with Susan, Peter. You guys can't be seen. It could be something else- Aslan may not actually want you there."

Peter stared at them for a moment, and then nodded, turning and stepping into the fridge, followed by Minni. Susan stalled for a moment, picking up _Eternity _and tucking it under her arm. She looked at the drawing of Caspian lying on the couch, and sighed. Maybe Peter was right. Maybe she didn't want to go to Narnia because she was avoiding the inevitable- everything would have changed.

With a final glance, she stepped into the portal, not knowing what would happen.


	3. Rylyn

**Author's Note: So here's the third chapter. Two changes: I added Caspian's POV, and a short clip of a flashback to when Susan and Peter started to fight. I hope you enjoy it! By the way, in the first chapter I said my original character was Isabella. Well, as you can see, I changed her name to Rylyn. So, I own no one but Rylyn.**

* * *

Chapter Three

King Caspian X stood next to a very large ship.

It wasn't a fully built ship. In fact, it was barely built at all. But he had to stand there and make sure everything was to be pieced together according to his plans he had charted weeks ago, before construction on the ship began.

He watched as men lifted heavy boards and pieced them together with nails, watched as men with large tubs of paint color the boards according to the colors on the Telmarine flag, and watched as Dr. Cornelius walked up to him. He was a heavyset man, even more so now that he was getting older.

"You wish to speak with me, Professor?" he asked, locking eyes with him. Though Caspian had become king three years ago, Cornelius was not entitled to be his professor any longer, but Caspian longed to learn more about the Golden Age, so he was still his professor- unofficially, however.

"Yes, my dear boy," Cornelius said, his voice even more of whisper than it had been. "I wish to ask you about Rylyn. What are we supposed to do with her?"

Caspian groaned. He had one flaw in his plan to build the perfect ship and sail to the forgotten islands far from Telmar that he had heard so much about. That flaw had a name called Rylyn.

"I don't know," he said gruffly, glancing down at the plans in his hands. "Build her a cabin, make her stay at the castle, send her back to wherever she came from, I don't know and I frankly don't care."

Cornelius sighed and scratched his balding head. Yes, the lady was incredibly bothersome, rude, stubborn and brute-ish, but she was still the daughter of Duke Adrian, (who happened to be coming with Caspian on his voyage), so, really, what choice did they have?

"Her father is her only family, Caspian. She needs to come with us."

Caspian groaned again. "I understand that. But I would prefer it if she was left behind."

Cornelius sighed and gave the king a small smile. "Trust me, my boy, we all wish that. Unfortunately, there is not much we can do."

Caspian nodded and sighed, folding up the plans. "Where is the girl?" he asked, wishing he was not the one who had to talk to her. Cornelius pointed toward the half-built bow of the ship, and Caspian immediately saw her: golden-skinned, white blonde, incredibly frustrating 18 year old girl that she was, barking at one of the men like she was in charge.

Caspian strode over to her and shouted, "Rylyn!"

Rylyn's head snapped up in surprise, and gulped. Caspian could almost read her thought: _I hope I don't get in trouble, even though I was ordering around a servant when the king specifically told me never to do it again._

This time, however, she wasn't in trouble. Though Caspian wished she was.

"Come here," he said, beckoning to her with his finger. Rylyn gripped the sides of her sky-blue skirts, and held her head high as she walked purposefully toward him.

"Yes, Oh High and All Mighty King?" she asked mockingly, her topaz eyes playfully seeking his response. Caspian, however, did not find this at all amusing. But he was used to it by now, having been around her for months.

"You are coming with your father on the voyage," he said quietly, wishing he could take his words back. If it was his decision, he would have Rylyn shipped out of the country with a snap of his fingers. But it wasn't his decision. Even though he was king, it was still not his decision.

Rylyn's eyes lit up. "Really? Oh, excellent!" she said ecstatically, beaming and showing off her pure white teeth. Caspian grimaced.

"Don't count your lucky stars just yet," he said, pushing back his dark hair. "You know the rules, _obey them._"

_Like she will take my words seriously,_ Caspian thought bitterly, staring into her eager face. Rylyn rolled her eyes.

"Yes, yes, I understand, don't order people about, don't order YOU about, don't get into trouble, don't touch your stupid sword, blah, blah, blah," Rylyn said, ticking off each thing with her fingers. Caspian sighed again.

"Glad you remember them," he muttered. She SHOULD remember them, he had said them so often- the question was, would she actually take them into account?

The answer was no.

He turned and stalked away from her, already irritated. She had that sort of uncanny power to make him incredibly irritated with the world just by talking. She didn't even have to be talking to him to get him annoyed. Just hearing her annoyingly rude, faux-perky voice got him peeved.

He walked into the cabin that had been made especially for him (and was the only thing finished on the ship, actually) and sat down at the desk that had been built into the wall. He took a deep breath and put his head in his hands, massaging his temples. Caspian unbelted the sword from his hip, and looked down at it. He pulled the sword from its scabbard and stared at the fine hammered metal and the inscriptions upon it.

And again, he was filled with nostalgia. This was High King Peter's sword. The sword he had decided to guard with his life, even though he knew Peter would never come back. He just felt that he owed SOMETHING to the great king, and if that was making sure the sword he had owned didn't get damaged or stolen, then so be it.

He wished the king was with him now. He could really use some advice that only a king could give. Ruling a country was much harder than Caspian had ever imagined- and trying to keep peace between the Narnians and the Telmarines was proving to be impossible.

But what could he do anymore? He had tried everything to keep the peace, and nothing seemed to be working.

Caspian thought of the queens. He knew that Lucy would be capable of keeping peace. It was her way with all things- both human and not- that he felt sure would keep everyone at bay. But she wasn't here, so that idea was for naught.

And Caspian knew that Susan could have come up with ideas to have them STAY at bay. But, then again, just the thought of Susan made his blood run cold, and his eyes feeling moist. He knew he shouldn't show emotion like this- he was a Telmarine king after all, and the people expected him to be strong. He wasn't going to be like Miraz, obviously, but he was still a Telmarine. And no one expected a Telmarine to be as soft as Caspian truly was.

Caspian was tired of this harsh façade he always had to put on. He put it on with Rylyn, he put it on with the lords, and he put in on with his people. It had to stay that way, no matter what. The only person he could let his entire guard down with was Susan. And she was long gone, so he felt empty. He couldn't even show his true self with his professor- it just didn't seem right.

A knock came at his cabin door.

"Yes?" he said, his voice sounding tired and hoarse. Caspian was exhausted, actually.

A servant spoke. "Your lordship, you're needed by Andres. He's not sure whether you said blue or white for the railing."

Caspian sighed and nodded. "I'm coming," he said, groaning inwardly and putting his belt back on his hips. He opened the door and walked out of the cabin, rubbing his temples again and praying that he would get help soon.

* * * * *

Meanwhile, Susan, Peter, and Minni had somehow wound up next to the construction site of the ship.

Minni was in total awe.

"Oh my Gods, this place is AMAZING!" she whispered, staring up at the sky longingly. Susan tried to smile, but she couldn't. Standing in Narnia hurt, and standing next to Peter hurt even more. She had been wrong- he wasn't the brother that he had seemed to be yesterday. He was still the same angry man who didn't seem to regard her as family anymore.

_Flashback to a year ago…_

_Susan hugged the scarf emblazoned with her sorority's name to her chest. She was finally one of them, and couldn't be happier. Now she could be closer to her mom. This was what she had always wanted, and she was finally getting it._

_She rapped on her brother's door, smiling at his roommate Alex when he opened the door._

"_Is Peter here?" she asked. Alex nodded, twirling one of him drumsticks in his hand, and led her into the room. She saw her brother lounging on the couch at the end of the dorm, scribbling on a notebook. Alex sat in a chair and began working out a beat on his drums._

_Susan dashed over to her brother, grinning from ear to ear._

"_Peter! Guess what?!" she said ecstatically, her blue eyes shining._

_Peter looked up lazily at her, and gave her a lopsided smile. "You won the lottery? Can I have some money?"_

_Susan rolled her eyes. "Ha, ha, very funny. No- I got into Mom's sorority! Isn't that great?"_

_Peter was silent. The only sounds Susan could hear were coming from Alex's drums. Susan waited for his answer expectantly, clinging to the scarf like it was her life force._

_Peter stood up and gave her a firm look. "What?" he whispered, causing her to freeze._

"_I got into Mom's sorority. Doesn't that please you?" she asked, pushing back a brown curl nervously. Peter sighed and placed his notebook on the couch._

"_Su, I don't like it. I don't like sorority girls. They think they are above everyone when they're not. They think they're queens, and they're not."_

_Susan rolled her eyes. "Peter, in case you don't remember, I WAS a queen."_

"_I know. I was a king. But those girls weren't queens. And I don't want you to become one of them."_

"_I'm not going to, Peter," Susan said, smiling. "I'm in the sorority to experience what Mom had. I want to be closer to her and this is a way to do it."_

"_There are other ways," Peter said a little bit louder than was necessary. "Send her letters."_

_Susan sighed. Why wasn't he happy about this? "I DO send her letter, Peter. Every week."_

_Susan noticed that Alex's drums were getting louder as they argued. Obviously not coincidental. _

_Peter did not look convinced. _

_Susan sighed, biting her lip. "Peter, please. Just be happy for me."_

That had ended in a giant shouting match. A shouting match which Susan did not wish to remember.

Minni gasped. "Susan, Peter, HIDE!" she hissed, bolting toward an overturned barrel. Susan and Peter turned and saw why they needed to hide.

Caspian, walking with two servants holding dishes of paint, was coming toward them. Susan gulped and bolted behind the barrel, biting her lip as she felt her heart break again.

"Susan, get DOWN! Ignore him- you're the one who said we weren't supposed to be seen! So DON'T BE SEEN!" Peter snapped at her, shoving her down to the ground as they waited for their shadows to pass. When they did, Susan lifted her head up again, only to duck back down.

"Don't look up!" she hissed, watching out of the corner of her eye Edmund and Lucy approach, looking incredibly confused. She watched them walk toward Caspian and sighed, wishing that she could stand up and run toward her siblings to embrace them. She hadn't seen them in so long, and she felt sad that this experience- being in Narnia again- wasn't something that they could all share together, as a family. Not even she and Peter could share it because they were so upset with each other.

She watched as Edmund and Lucy shouted, "Caspian!" and watched as Caspian turned in surprise, grinning from ear to ear at the sight of the young king and queen. Susan sighed and looked at Minni, who was smirking.

"So THIS is what's keeping you from enjoying Narnia? Well, damn Susan. I would think you would enjoy Narnia with THAT."

She raised her eyebrows mockingly at Caspian, who was embracing Lucy. Susan rolled her eyes.

"Minni..." she said with a sigh, pushing back a curl that threatened to escape from her braid. After a moment, she groaned and tugged the braid out of her hair, letting her curls fall freely around her shoulders.

She wasn't really focusing at that point because she didn't want to watch her siblings and Caspian (her heart hurt too much when she did) so she didn't see it coming.

"SUSAN! DUCK!" Minni screamed, and Susan whirled around just in time to see an arrow flying toward her, and piercing into her forearm. She gasped in pain, wrenching the arrow from her forearm and watched the blood run down her arm. She turned, seeing where the arrow was coming from, and watched as a girl about her age came running toward them, her white-blonde hair flying, and her mouth twisted in horror.

"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry!" she shouted, just as Caspian was turning to see who had screamed and why they had shouted "Susan", and just as the barrel started rolling, and just as Susan was being shoved to the ground by Peter.


	4. Trials and Tribulations

**Author's Note: Thanks so much for all your reviews! Sorry this chapter took so long- I was busy and didn't have time to update. This chapter is special- for the first time, we get inside Minni's head, who is seriously going to become important. And we learn some things about her and Peter that we may not have known before. Anyway, I really hope you like this chapter!**

* * *

Chapter Four

Her face was being shoved into the ground, making contact with the dirt, blood and dirt blending together until it left a bitter taste in her mouth. Peter panted and held her down as Minni grabbed at the rolling barrel, her face contorted with fear.

"Stay down, Susan. Don't move," Peter hissed, keeping her face in the ground.

_Yes, because I can move with your heavy body on me._

Minni grunted, trying to hold the barrel close, but it kept slipping from her grasp. Susan heard footsteps as the blond-haired girl came closer.

"Rylyn!" someone with a Spanish accent barked, and the footsteps stopped. "Come here!"

Susan bit her lip, tasting more blood, and she felt woozy as the blood flow in her harm became steady. Minni's voice reached a squeak as she desperately tried to hold the barrel in front of them, but suddenly, Susan heard a large CRASH!

She knew what that was. The barrel running into something.

Peter froze, and Susan took the chance to lift her head. She placed her hand on her cheek, and felt it. Her face felt caked with dirt, and sticky.

"It's fine. It's all fine. They're on the ship," Peter whispered hotly into her ear, and Susan shoved him off of her, gulping in breaths of fresh air.

Minni gasped. "Susan, look at you!"

Susan rolled her eyes. "I know, Minni. I'm covered with dirt and my arm is bleeding."

Minni shook her head. "No, Susan! Here," she said, rummaging around in her pockets and pulling out a hand mirror. "Look."

Susan did, and indeed, her face was covered with earth. But she now knew why she had felt so sticky- she had a 3 inch gash above her eyebrow, and the blood was pouring.

"We need to get you to a healer or something, Su. You're bleeding everywhere," Peter announced, sounding for the first time that day like a concerned sibling. Susan, this time, did not buy it. He would just go back to being a furious man any second afterward. He didn't really care about her.

"I'll be fine," she said, but her voice was breathless, like she was growing weakened by loss of blood.

Minni sighed. "I agree with Peter. You need to see- OOF!"

Someone came up behind Minni and twisted her arms, covering her mouth with his hands.

Susan shrieked in surprise and fear when someone grabbed her wrists, pinning them behind her back and covering her mouth with a soiled cloth.

"If you do not protest, we will not hurt you," the man behind her hissed, his dark eyes peeking out from behind a metal mask.

Susan grunted and twisted her body, trying to fight his grip, but he held on tighter and smacked her across the face with his metal gauntlet. Susan gasped and fell to the ground, causing her gash to rip open even more, and blood to trickle into her eyes.

Peter's eyes widened and he kicked his captor in the groin. He staggered backward, and Peter rushed over to his fallen sister, grabbing her arm and pulling her up.

"Leave her alone!" he snapped, rounding upon the next captor. But before he could, the man had him pinned to the ground, and the other was lifting Susan up and throwing her over his shoulder like a sack of flour. Susan kicked and thrashed, but he held on tighter. Minni was the only one who stayed put, and refused to move.

The men dragged all three of them toward the half-finished boat. The man holding Minni shouted,

"King Caspian! We have discovered three spies!"

Susan gasped and shook her head quickly, trying to speak through the cloth but her voice coming out as a whine. She kicked her legs, trying to break free and run away, but she was growing so weak from blood loss that she hardly did any damage.

Caspian glanced up from speaking quietly with Edmund and Lucy, and shrugged.

"Bring them to one of the built cabins," he said quickly, obviously thinking of other things. "I will deal with them shortly."

The men nodded, and shoved Peter, Susan, and Minni into the nearest cabin, closing the door firmly. Susan coughed, blood falling into her mouth, and wheezed, slumping to the ground. Minni dove forward.

"We have to get her medical attention!" she said, her mouth pressed into a worried line. She stood up and rummaged through drawers, looking for something to help stop the blood flow. She glanced up at Peter and glared at him, who was just standing there.

"Help me!" she snapped. "This is your sister, you know! Don't you care about her health?"

Peter knelt down next to Minni, shuffling through the drawers half-heartedly while Susan lay on the ground, fighting for breath. The room started spinning, making Susan even dizzier than she already was.

"Help… me. Need… water…" she rasped, trying to spit out the blood that was now in her mouth. Minni looked up and glanced around, sighing in frustration when she saw nothing of the clear liquid that she needed so desperately.

"Minni… water," Susan hissed, closing her eyes finally to try and ignore the dizziness. But she felt like she was spinning in circles even with her eyes closed.

Minni glared at Peter. "Help her while I find some water."

Peter stood up quickly, concern flooding through his eyes. "Minni, you can't go out there. You saw those despicable people who put us in here."

Minni gaped at him. "I can't believe this," she whispered, her eyes wide with disbelief. "You care more about my well-being than your own sister's, who is currently suffering from blood loss, and if she doesn't get immediate medical attention, she'll probably DIE!"

Peter stood frozen in the room. Minni didn't want to look at him anymore. She turned and stalked out of the cabin, ignoring the voice inside her head saying that Peter was half right- she shouldn't be wandering around. But Edmund and Lucy were here somewhere, right? And the king Peter and Susan spoke of, who Susan may in fact fancy, was okay too, right? Minni knew Susan- she wouldn't like someone unless they were decent and kind.

Minni walked along the half-finished boat, taking in all the sights. It was so utterly beautiful- she couldn't imagine why on Earth Peter and Susan would want to forget this place, let alone leave it.

Minni was so immersed in the picture before her that she nearly collided with someone.

"Oh dear, I'm so sorry!" she said, glancing upward. She froze. She was staring at the face that she had seen in the drawing. Or at least, the human version of the face in the drawing. She let out a nervous giggle.

Caspian raised an eyebrow. "Who are you?" he asked. Minni gulped.

"MINNI!" someone shrieked behind him, and they both turned to see little Lucy run toward her, and wrap her in a fierce hug. Minni smiled anxiously, and patted Lucy on her head.

"Hi… Lu-lucy," she stuttered, pushing back her strawberry blond hair.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, beaming. Minni frowned. She had to think of a lie, and she had to think of it quickly.

"I... um… fell in here. Yes, that's what happened," she said. Not a lie.

Caspian glanced at Lucy. "So you know this girl?" he asked quietly. Lucy nodded.

"Yes. This is Minni, Susan's roo-," she started, but stopped quickly when she realized what she was about to say, and who she was speaking to. She bit her lip and quickly said over it,

"This is Minni, a close family friend."

It did not escape Caspian, however. How could it when she had just spoken Susan's name?

Minni nodded her head. "You must be… ah… Caspian," she said, trying to remember the name Peter and Susan had told her.

_Oh no, Susan! _

"Is there any water around?" she asked, looking up at Caspian and feeling a strange fluttering in her chest. Maybe it was just the way his eyes looked- he looked like he was staring straight into her soul.

He nodded. "Yes, there should be some in the healing cabin. Lucy, will you show our guest the way?"

Lucy nodded, but Minni immediately shook her head. "No, that's fine," she said. "I know where it is."

Actually, she didn't have the faintest idea where it was. But she couldn't let Lucy show her. It was impossible for Minni to lie to Lucy. It was impossible for ANYONE to lie to Lucy.

Minni sped away, feeling their eyes on her back as she bolted toward the first cabin in sight. A white flag fluttered from the roof, and the door was unlocked. Minni saw a barrel filled with apple, a drawer filled with herbs and cloth, and a pitcher of water. She grabbed some of the cloth and the pitcher of water, and snuck out, stealing back toward the cabin that held Susan and Peter.

She stopped at the door and peeked through the window. Peter was staring down at his now-unconscious sister. A cloth was wrapped tightly over her elbow and her forehead, and both wounds seemed to have been clean. Her chest was moving steadily up and down, which made Minni realize that she wasn't unconscious- she was just sleeping.

She smiled a little and opened the door, setting the pitcher down.

Peter looked up. "Are you okay?" he whispered. Minni nodded, and sat next to Susan, silently stroking her lovely brown hair.

"She looks so peaceful," she whispered, watching her best friend sleep. She turned to look at Peter.

"Peter," she said quietly, looking down at her hands. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Yes," he answered, staring out the window. Still avoiding his gaze, Minni said,

"Why did you leave Narnia? It's so beautiful and so amazing, why would anyone want to leave and forget it? What happened here that makes you want to forget everything, and never come back? You said Aslan told you that you couldn't come back, but I want to know why YOU don't want to come back."

Peter was silent for what seemed like centuries, until he finally turned and met her straight in the eye.

"Things have happened here, Minni," he said sternly, sounding like a wise man that'd been through many trials and tribulations. "Things you just wouldn't understand no matter how we try to explain it. Me and Su, see, we just want to forget some things. Narnia is really just part of our past, and we've both felt pain here. It's just not a place for us any longer."

Minni stared at him, wide eyed and innocent. "But… when Susan said she had found the portal, you had seemed incredibly excited. How does that work?"

Peter shook his head, and opened his mouth to say something. Minni waited expectantly, but Peter then snapped his mouth closed, sighed, and shook his head again.

"We need to check to see if her wounds are clotting yet," he said seriously, leaning over as Minni watched him in surprise.

She felt that he was keeping something from her. She KNEW he was keeping something from her. She just didn't know what.

Minni wondered if Narnia wasn't really a beautiful, amazing place. She wondered if that was just a façade, and the real Narnia was hidden- you just had to look for it.

She watched as Peter lifted the cloth and cleaned the wounds some more with the water, and smiled a little. She liked seeing Peter like this- she hardly ever saw it now. He was actually caring for his sister. Truly caring for her, and that made Minni smile.

Minni then thought back to when she had run into Caspian and Lucy. She thought back to the fluttering in her chest, and how she had gone speechless. She gulped. She had felt that same way before, and she felt it for a long time around Peter before she had gotten to know him. Minni had been in love with Peter for a long time, and that was how being in love with him had started- the speechlessness, the fluttery feeling. She couldn't help but wonder, then, if she was soon going to fall in love with yet another man she could not have.

She could not have Peter because he was her best friend's brother. And she could not have Caspian because that same best friend loved him with all her heart- she just wouldn't admit it.

Minni wondered if this was how it was going to be forever- her lusting after guys who were attached to Susan- all the guys she could just never have.


	5. A Secret

**Author's Note: Oh my God, you guys, I am SOO SORRY I haven't gotten another chapter in for so long!! I've been incredibly busy lately, what with the start of school and everything. This chapter might seem sort of boring to you, and yes, not much happens in this, but this chapter had to happen in order for the next chapter to take place. And I promise, I'll try to get the next chapter in MUCH sooner! But, anyway, here you go! The newest installment of Eternity!  
**

* * *

Chapter Five

There was a long table.

It wasn't just any long table. It was carved from the finest wood and painted gold, with carvings in Old Narnian. The table was not very old, but it was not new. It was created for Caspian on the day of his birth. The gift giver said that it would be his work space for when he became King.

But now that he was King, it was much more than that. It was a table for many uses- work, thinking, sitting, talking.

"Sire, if I may, we should question them. They could be spies," a knight said. Lucy snorted and rolled her eyes. Caspian gave her an appraising look, and she shrugged.

"What?" she said nonchalantly. "It's MINNI, for crying out loud! I doubt she's a spy."

"There were two others, Your Highness," the knight continued, causing Lucy and Edmund to both raise their eyebrows in surprise, and exchange odd looks. This did not faze Caspian.

"What did they look like?" Caspian asked slowly, brushing brown hair from his eyes. The knight seemed nervous and shuffled his fingers.

"We… we don't know, my King. The guards did not get a good look at them. All they managed to distinguish was that one was a man, and one was a woman. Both about your age, actually- one, the woman, was very rough and difficult to control."

Lucy rolled her eyes, and Edmund groaned at the knight's incompetence. "Did you happen to see any characteristics about them at all?" Edmund asked, feeling very frustrated with the knight.

"Well… the man had blond hair, and the woman had black hair with some brown in it. The man was very tall and deep-chested, and the woman was petite and curvy. That's about all we know," the knight answered, looking very sheepish.

Lucy froze. Yes, the description wasn't much. But her older brother and sister had those characteristics that the knight described. Edmund and Caspian seemed to realize this too, because they turned to her with surprise and awe on their faces.

However, many different thoughts were running through each person's mind.

Edmund felt angry and confused. Didn't Aslan ban them? Hadn't they learned all they could learn from Narnia? It was finally Edmund's turn to experience Narnia the way he wanted, without being overshadowed by his siblings, and they just had to come swooping in to save the day YET AGAIN?

Lucy felt warm inside, but also worried. She loved being with Peter and Susan, but they weren't supposed to be here. IF they even were here. What would happen if Aslan found out? Would he punish them? Would he make SURE that they couldn't get back? More importantly, how did they even get here?

Caspian felt elated. What else was to be expected of him- having someone you love, or at least like very much, to be stripped from your grasp at the last minute, only to return later? But he felt nervous as well- was this for real? Would she be taken from Narnia again? And then, there was the pessimistic voice inside his head saying, _They could be talking about someone else._

Suddenly, a door slammed, and Rylyn came bounding through the hall, causing everyone to jump in surprise, and Caspian to groan quietly. Couldn't that girl stay out of other people's business for one moment?

"Sorry I'm late, what did I miss?" she asked boisterously, her accent thick on her tongue. Caspian stood up in surprise and annoyance.

"Who invited you here?" he asked rudely, thinking, _I surely didn't._

Rylyn snorted and rolled her eyes, making Caspian's heart jump with a start. She looked almost exactly like Susan when she did that, which surprised him- he didn't think he could find anything about the girl that he remotely liked.

"Edmund invited me, actually," she said, equally rudely. Caspian whirled around, his eyes wide in astonishment. Edmund shrugged sheepishly.

"I thought she'd be a good advisor. And besides, the girl's got nothing to do," Edmund whispered. Rylyn sighed, hearing. She was always _that girl _to them. Why couldn't she be herself? Rylyn Asterwood?

She sighed and put her hands on her hips. "Listen, I'll go if you want. But you could in fact use my help. I saw the people. I know who they are- they're High King Peter and Queen Susan, plus one."

Suddenly, there was shouting everywhere. The knights present had burst into sound, shouting about how absurd Rylyn was, about how she didn't know what she was talking about, that the two eldest Kings and Queens of Old had been banished from Narnia after learning everything they could. But Rylyn only shook her head nonchalantly and smirked.

In fact, she HADN'T seen the King and Queen up close. Only far away, right as they were being roughly taken. But she had heard them, and that was enough for her.

Caspian cleared his throat loudly. When they still did not cease their shouting, he stood up calmly, slammed his fist down on the table, and shouted, "BE! QUIET!"

Immediately, the shouting stopped, and all the knights stared up at their king, scared. Caspian did not get angry often, but, being raised in the harsh Telmarine environment, when he was angry, he was almost lethal in fury.

"Thank you," he said gruffly, sitting back down and running a hand through his brown hair worriedly. He sat up straight and looked Rylyn square in the eye- so hard, that it made her flinch.

"Are you sure, Rylyn?" he breathed, his eyes speaking paragraphs. But they also spoke a sentence so clearly that Rylyn didn't need to learn the other words: _You better not be playing us. This is incredibly serious. _

She didn't have to ask questions, either, to know why he was taking this so seriously. She nodded her head meekly, feeling small and shy for the first time since she arrived.

"Yes," she said quietly, willing for her usual bravado to come creeping back up.

Caspian leaned back in his chair, thinking for a moment. Then, abruptly, he said,

"Everyone go. I want to talk with Rylyn ALONE."

No one moved. They were all too shocked by his words. The king glared at them and hissed, "Now!"

All you could hear was the scrape of chairs being moved and the scuffle of feet as the knights, Edmund, and Lucy, flowed out of the room. Lucy gave him a withered, worried look as she passed, and Caspian gave her a small smile, letting her know that everything was okay. And it was. He just wanted to talk to Rylyn without the prying eyes of the knights.

He cleared his throat, and said quietly, "You are sure this is what you saw?"

Rylyn nodded, thankful as she felt her bravado slowly sink back in. "Yes," she said, her retort snappy and rude, reminding Caspian of her normal exterior.

Caspian sucked in a deep breath, biting his lip and rocking back and forth on his heels. He closed his eyes, and then opened them, crossing his legs various times before he finally uttered one sentence:

"Show me."

* * * * *

"Ouch," Susan croaked, feeling Peter's fingers work through her tender skin. Peter winced, as if feeling her pain as well.

"Hold on, it's almost over. Just one more… ah! There we go. All done!"

Susan flinched and looked down at the fabric wrapped tightly around her arm, and went over her shoulder into a sling. She felt bruised and battered, even though she had just been bleeding. But Peter and Minni, together, had taken control of her injuries, and now she looked very clean, and most of her scratches had healed. Except for the wound in her arm. _Ugh._

"You okay?" Peter asked gently. Susan nodded, feeling amazed at the sudden tenderness Peter exerted toward her. She missed this- this feeling they had for each other. It had been lost in their fight, but now it was back, and she fully realized how much she missed being true brother and sister.

Susan glanced over to the corner, where Minni sat, gazing out the tiny window. Susan sighed.

"Are you okay, Min?"

Minni turned her head quickly, and nodded. "Yes, fine," she said, waving her hand around in a blasé manner that made Susan sure that she wasn't.

Susan crawled over to the tiny space Minni occupied, and plopped herself down next to her, pushing back her dark hair with her good arm.

"Minni, what's going on?" she asked gently. "You don't seem fine."

Minni shook her head. "It's nothing. Really," she whispered, but Susan saw something. Minni's head hung low, so her strawberry blond hair covered her face, but Minni's bright green eyes would always be noticed, and so Susan could see them through her mass of blond hair. And she saw them peek out through her strawberry blond curtain, and glance quickly over at Peter, before averting her eyes and staring back down at her hands.

Susan frowned. What had happened while she was asleep, and they were tending to her wounds?

"Minni?" she prompted, but Minni was through talking.

Susan sighed, glancing up toward the window and looking out. She froze, her legs stiffening, her heart thrashing wildly in her chest. She couldn't see very much through the tiny window, but she could see enough. She could see a smooth, tanned forehead, framed by brown locks of hair, and warm, inviting, chocolate brown eyes that pierced her soul and made her stomach churn in anticipation and longing.

* * * * *

He couldn't see her very well, but he knew who she was. The little window did nothing to minimize the beauty of those cerulean eyes and cloud of dark hair that hung down to her waist. He turned, staring at Rylyn with awe. For the first time, he didn't despise her and feel irritated by her. She smirked proudly.

'What did I tell you?" she said cockily. "It's them, isn't it?"

Caspian nodded, vaguely aware of what she was saying. He wasn't thinking of a "them", really. He was thinking of a "her".

* * * * *

She wanted to go to him. Oh, she wanted to. She needed to, with every fiber of her being to streak out of the room and throw herself at him, pressing herself against his warm body, wishing that they could be together in the way she always dreamt of- but they couldn't. Not now. Not until this was straightened out, until everything was right. And Susan knew, right then, that Peter could not know that Caspian knew they were here. He couldn't.

* * * * *

"Well? Don't just stand there- open the door and grab your woman!" Rylyn prompted, laughing to herself at her own boisterousness. Caspian sighed, wishing that he could do exactly what Rylyn said. But he couldn't- right? He glanced back at the window, where Susan still sat, staring up at him, her blue eyes bright with anticipation, hope, and longing. They stared at each other for a long moment, drinking each other's appearance in. But she did not stray from her spot- she did not go to the door and open it, either stepping out or inviting him in. He could tell then, that he wasn't supposed to know she was here. But how could he live with that?

He turned to Rylyn, amazed with himself that he was turning to HER for guidance. Rylyn snorted and rolled her eyes, pressing against Caspian's heart when she did that. God, how she looked like Susan in that instance.

"What are you doing at midnight tonight?" she asked. Caspian fought the urge to roll his eyes. Sleeping, what else?

He was about to open his mouth to say just that, but she cut him off. "Wrong," she snapped. "You're going to be here, 12:00 SHARP. I'll take care of everything from there. You need this, I can tell."

Rylyn shoved Caspian out of the way, and pressed her fingers against the window, signing crudely to Susan, saying, "12:00."

Susan cocked her head to the side and frowned. Caspian watched her with a wistful eye. She hadn't changed at all- he remembered her doing that exact pose all the time- when she was confused, she would cock her head to the side, push her eyebrows down and her plump bottom lip would slip into a slight frown. He secretly found her most attractive this way.

Rylyn sighed and turned back to Caspian in annoyance. "She is really dumb," she said bluntly. Caspian opened his mouth to immediately object, but she had already turned back and signed furiously. After a few more moments, Susan finally understood, and grinned, sitting straight up like a dog who had just heard his food being rattled around in a bowl.

But then she shook her head, causing Caspian's heart to, yet again, shatter into thousands of pieces. She inclined her head toward Peter's back, where he was talking to Minni, and thankfully, could not see Susan. Rylyn shook her head, and mimed "sleeping." Caspian nodded his head enthusiastically, feeling like an idiot, doing all this crude miming just because they were separated by a wall. Sort of.

Susan bit her lip, and nodded slowly, nervous butterflies flitting around her stomach. She was afraid that someone would discover them- Peter, Minni, or worse, Aslan. But she would risk it. She would risk it, to once against join someone she loved.


	6. Not A Chapter

Hey guys. I just wanted to let you know that the reason I've been taking so long with updating this fic is because I've sort of lost my inspiration for it. I had so many ideas for it, but I just can't bring myself to write it- I've been so caught up in other things, and my mind is exploding with ideas for other fics and original stories! So, unfortunately, this fic is going to be put on hiatus for a while- just until I get my inspiration for it back. I'm really sorry- but this doesn't mean I'm stopping writing! I'm just taking a break from it, because there are so many other things I want to write that I DO have inspiration for. But I'll get back to this fic, I promise! I do plan on finishing it- just not right now. Thanks so much for reading and reviewing it, and I hope you'll do the same for my future fics! And again, this story will come back! Just not now. Thanks for understanding!


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